The 2016 fiscal budget and what to do with the “marble building” were the main topics of discussion at the Nelson city council meeting on June 1, 2015. The 2015 budget was presented for the first time and is now available for the citizens to review.

All residents can obtain a copy at city hall. Public hearings and first and second readings will be in the future. There will be a called meeting of the council on June 22 to go over the budget in more

detail The council had a sometimes heated discussion as to what to do with the larger “marble building.” Councilman Jackie Jarrett is in favor of immediately putting a new roof on the building to at least stop the deterioration cause by the leaks in the roof. He does cite that this problem has been a topic of discussion at council meetings for months and something must be done soon. Councilman Mike Haviland wants to have an inspector come in and inspect the building before any work is done. His concern is the existence of asbestos and current regulations regarding asbestos. The council voted to seek a certified inspector to come in and inspect all aspects of the building and make recommendations to the council. The inspection is projected to cost $4,200. In the mean time, the roof continues to leak. The building has been re-designated as a park and could someday be used as the marble museum or some other recreational facility but not without the repairs.

In other business: Mayor Larry Ray gave his monthly report. His report centered on the work of the maintenance department in clearing ditches and drains at various locations in the city. He cited that a broken culvert in Laurel Lake subdivision is being repaired. The culvert was damaged by a delivery truck and the insurance company is covering the cost. Police Chief Jim Koury provided the council with the monthly statistics for the department. The department continues to be pro-active in the community. He reported that the department took part in two safety vehicle checks in conjunction with the GSP and Pickens Sheriff’s Office. These vehicle checks resulted in several arrests. He told the council about a demonstration of a “tag reader”. This is a camera that reads the license plates of passing vehicles, runs records check and advises the officer of outstanding warrants, lack of insurance and other activities that are related to the vehicle. This then allows the officer to take the appropriate action. He told the council of the cost of the unit and the finance plan options. The council is strongly considering the purchase. Chief Koury also told the council that he had done as much through the court and issuance of citations for the burned house and suggested that they seek further action through the city attorney.